K-cars

[mgross0]

K cars have outlasted most of their domestic contemporaries at this point. I still see a few Reliants and such on the road here in Phoenix, but it's been years since I have seen a Topaz or Citation. I would recommend avoiding the turbos, unless they have some sort of service history. That being said, I would also recommend that you go for an M body and buy a Diplomat. In an accident, an M body will demolish just about anything currently on the road.

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by mgross0

K cars have outlasted most of their domestic contemporaries at this point. I still see a few Reliants and such on the road here in Phoenix, but it's been years since I have seen a Topaz or Citation. I would recommend avoiding the turbos, unless they have some sort of service history. That being said, I would also recommend that you go for an M body and buy a Diplomat. In an accident, an M body will demolish just about anything currently on the road.

I couldn't agree more, and see more K-cars on the road then any other 80's cars...however, I took this pic a few weeks ago in Phoenix. Ford fans, here you go!

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by dishdude

I couldn't agree more, and see more K-cars on the road then any other 80's cars...however, I took this pic a few weeks ago in Phoenix. Ford fans, here you go!

I can't recall the last time I saw an Aerostar. I saw a dark green Topaz in nice shape parked on the same street quite a few times not that long ago; chances are it's still in use, I just haven't been to that area in a while. Also, last month I saw a teal '92-'94 Taurus wagon, also in nice shape. That's pretty good for cars that were built while this region still had a winter.

Originally Posted by mgross0

K cars have outlasted most of their domestic contemporaries at this point. I still see a few Reliants and such on the road here in Phoenix, but it's been years since I have seen a Topaz or Citation. I would recommend avoiding the turbos, unless they have some sort of service history. That being said, I would also recommend that you go for an M body and buy a Diplomat. In an accident, an M body will demolish just about anything currently on the road.

Sounds good to me. I would add one of those bumper stickers that say "Your car is my crumple zone".

[N2IXK]

The only thing I would suggest avoiding in the K-cars is the optional Mitsubishi-built 2.6L engine. My dad had one of those in a 1981 Aries wagon, and it would eat timing belts and fuel pumps on a regular basis. The standard 2.2L engines were quite reliable, in my experience.

Of course, as a lifelong Mopar guy, it kind of galled me to see the "2.6 HEMI" fendertags that came with that POS engine.

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by N2IXK

Of course, as a lifelong Mopar guy, it kind of galled me to see the "2.6 HEMI" fendertags that came with that POS engine.

Well, heh, it was legitimately a hemi, though. Hemispherical combustion chambers ftw. But yeah...

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by N2IXK

Of course, as a lifelong Mopar guy, it kind of galled me to see the "2.6 HEMI" fendertags that came with that POS engine.

Even Ford's 1.6L I4 is technically a hemi but fortunately I haven't seen any fender tags announcing this. While I have a soft spot for the early model Lynx and Escort I think the SS (1981 Escort only), RS and GT trim packages are a bit much for a subcompact without a lot of horsepower or low-end torque.

[MIPS]

Our family was two-time Aerostar users. They were great family vans. Later on in life I considered buying one because the removable seats are a great bonus but:
-They are heavy as hell
-The engines are a MASSIVE pain in the ass to service.